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As part of Liquid Telecom’s ongoing African Innovation initiative, start-ups in Zambia will have greater access to high-speed internet and cloud-based services

Lusaka, December 14, 2017

CEC Liquid Telecommunications, part of the leading pan-African telecoms group Liquid Telecom, is helping to accelerate Zambia’s emerging gaming and Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystem through a new partnership with BongoHive; Zambia's first innovation and technology hub.

Zambia is home to a thriving start-up scene, which is developing solutions for industries as diverse as media and entertainment, gaming, transport, eHealth and logistics. As part of its ongoing African Innovation initiative, CEC Liquid will support start-ups at BongoHive through the provision of high-speed internet access and cloud-based services, leveraging Liquid Telecom’s pan-African fibre footprint.

In collaboration with Kwese TV, Liquid Telecom will also explore ways to accelerate Zambia’s gaming ecosystem, helping to support game developers as they aim to promote their content on Africa’s largest gaming platform, Kwese Gamer.

In addition, Liquid Telecom will look at how the Internet of Things (IoT) can play a more prominent role in new solutions being developed by start-ups, which can utilise tools from the Microsoft Azure IoT suite.

CEC Liquid recently hosted the CONNECT Expo in September 2017, which focused on IoT and its application in domestic, SME and enterprise environments.

“It is an exciting time to be a part of Zambia’s start-up scene, which is growing a big reputation for itself in the region as an innovation hotspot. Through this new partnership with BongoHive, we believe we can make a real difference to young entrepreneurs, who can benefit from both our experience and technology,” said, Andrew Kapula, Managing Director at CEC Liquid.

BongoHive provides local start-ups with a range of entrepreneurship programmes, skill building masterclasses, workshops and events all focused on making Zambia Africa’s next hotbed of innovation. The hub has supported over 400 start-ups since its inception in 2011, raising significant start-up capital and funding for entrepreneurs.

“We are pleased to partner with such an ambitious organisation, CEC Liquid, and we believe our common effort to support the Zambian innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem will yield greater results and ensure that Zambian entrepreneurs excel locally and globally,” said, Lukonga Lindunda, Co-founder and Executive Director at BongoHive.

Additional information:

Liquid Telecom has been finding ways to support the new generation of gamers who are rapidly emerging across Africa. In July, Liquid Telecom Kenya partnered with the Nairobi Comic Convention (Naiccon) to host Africa’s first international multi player video game tournament at the Sarit Centre in Nairobi. The tournament was an enormous success, with a total of 16 PC and console gaming teams from Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda battling it out for cash prizes in front of enthusiastic audiences.

In Uganda, Liquid Telecom recently teamed up with The Innovation Village, a hub and co-working space in Kampala, to provide new opportunities for local start-ups. During Kampala Innovation Week in November, The Innovation Village hosted the DataHack4FI competition with Liquid Telecom providing entrants with free high-speed connectivity and credits for Microsoft Azure.

Some of BongoHive’s success stories include iVitals (formerly Teledoctor), which focuses on digital healthcare solutions, and Musanga Logistics; an on-demand delivery app that is transforming the way goods are transported in cities. Both have gone on to win top awards and raise funds.